Fulling mill



H. c. RIGGS FULLINC- MILL Jan. 24, 1939.

Filed Feb. 21, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnvenTo r. Homer C. R Eggs i ny awSim/raw7 ATffys Jan. 24, 1939.

H. C. RIGGS FULLINC- MILL 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1956 T O T n e v m 82 80 Homer C. Riggs ATTys Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FULLING MILL Application February 2 1, 1936, Serial No. 65,015

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fulling mills, and the general object of the invention is to provide a fulling mill construction which will more effectively compact the fabric during" the fulling operation and which will produce a more uniform and superior fulling of the cloth than has heretofore been accomplished, and which will avoid injury to the cloth and minimize the wastage or flocking during the fulling operation. and consequent loss in the weight of the fabric.

The purpose of fulling woolen fabric is to obtain a shrinkage of the fabric in length and width to provide a more compact structure presenting a nappy appearance. This is produced by subject ing progressive folds of the fabric to heat and pressure in the presence of moisture, usually in the form of a soapy solution, and the inherent properties of the wool fibres thereby cause them to increase in thickness and to be more intimately associated with each other to form a fabric which is more compact in structure. This is accomplished'in fulling mills of the type to which this invention relates by squeezing the folds of the goods under pressure against each other by means of a pair of squeeze rolls which also force the fabric through a trough or packing box having a converging passage which causes other folds to be produced within the packing box and the faces of the folds to squeeze against each other, thereby to condense the fabric and to produce a nap upon the faces of the fabric. The action of the squeeze rolls serves to condense the fabric widthwise while the compression and manipulation of the folds within the packing box serves to condense the fabric lengthwise. It is, therefore, essential to the proper operation of the fulling machine that accurate adjustment of the pressure of the squeeze rolls to produce the desired predetermined pressure may be attained, and also that the packing box shall be so constructed as to enable a proper compression of the fabric to be produced therein Without abrading, tearing, or improperly wrinkling the fabric as it passes through the packing box.

In usual fulling mill constructions the bottom, sides and top of the packing box are of wood. In such constructions the heat and moisture is likely to swell the wood, thereby causing warpage of the walls of the box which will leave a crack into which the fabric will be jammed, thereby producing wrinkles and sometimes tearing the fabric. Other types of packing boxes have been made of iron, the walls of which necessarily present a somewhat rough surface and in some instances the Walls of the packing box are corrugated or otherwise roughened to increase resistance to the passage of the fabric. In the latter construction the goods are more thoroughly com.- pacted than in the wooden box type of construction, but the roughened walls produce an injurious effect upon the fabric which includes the wearing off of the nap of the fabric and the production of flocks that causes considerable wastage and consequent decrease in the weight of the fabric. Inasmuch as one of the main objects of fulling is to produce a compact fabric of a predetermined weight, such wastage and loss of weight is extremely serious.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a packing box construction for a fulling mill Which will enable a proper condensation of the fabric to be produced at a more rapid rate and which will avoid the objections above enumerated.

This is accomplished in the present invention by providing a packing box having a rigid bottom, rigid side walls and a yieldably mounted weighted top each presenting a. smooth highly polished inner metal face to engage the fabric, thereby avoiding abrasion of the fabric, wrinkling, and consequent loss by flocking and eliminating the wrinkling or tearing of the fabric.

By virtue of this construction together with mechanism for applying predetermined proper pressure to the fabric by squeeze rolls which force them into the packing box, a better and more rapid fulling may be accomplished and a superior fulled cloth produced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means for supporting and adjusting the upper squeeze roll relatively to the lower squeeze roll which will enable pressure applied to the goods to be more accurately determined and which will permit such adjustment as to enable wider variation in the range of predetermined pressures employed.

In the operation of fulling machines of this character the fabric sometimes becomes knotted or bunched during its progressive passage from the packing box through the tub to the squeeze rolls, or becomes jammed in the packing box. A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism for so supporting the upper squeeze roll that it can. be readily removed an ample distance from the lower squeeze roll to permit ready access to the fabric in order that the bunches or jams may be removed and proper operation of the machine restored.

These and other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the fulling machine illustrating the upper and lower squeeze rolls, the mechanism for driving the same including stop mechanism, and in dotted lines the guiding mechanism for the fabric and the construotionof the packing box;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the packing box;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the fulling ma chine illustrating two pairs of squeeze rolls, the guiding mechanism for the fabric, and the mechanism for adjusting both ends of the upper squeeze roll;

Fig. 4-. is a detail view of the mechanism for supporting and adjusting one end of the upper squeeze roll, the bearing for the roll shaft of said squeeze roll and the sections of the spring through which pressure is applied to said bearing being shown in vertical section; and,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on line 55, Fig. 4.

The fulling mill illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a frame construction having complementary pairs of skeletonized lower metal side frames l and 2 connected together by suitable cross rods or bolts 3 and complementary upper skeletonized side frame sections 4 and 5 the lower edges of which rest upon the respective upper edges of the lower side frames l and 2. A tubto receive the cloth is suitably mounted in the lower side frames and comprises side walls 6 and I, a front wall 8, and a rear wall 9 which desirably is of upwardly extending arcuate form corresponding to the contour of the lower portion of the side frames, as

. illustrated.

The lower side frame has converging arms In and H which merge into a central web l2 in which the bearings for the shaft l3 of the lower squeeze roll 14 and the shaft l5 of the driving pulley I6 are mounted. The upper side frame sections 4 and 5 are likewise of skeletonized construction and are provided with downwardly extending webs I! having vertical central grooves or guideways l8 in which the bearings 19 for the shaft 2!! of the upper squeeze r011 2| is mounted. Sprocket wheels 22 and 23 are fixedly secured to the shafts 20 and i3 of the upper and lower squeeze rolls and are actuated by endless chains 24 which pass over the sprockets 22 and 23 and over sprocket pinions 25 fixedly secured to the driving shaft !5 and over idler sprockets 26 mounted upon a shaft 2'! mounted in the upper ends of levers 28 which are fulcrumed upon studs 29 upon the side frames and have downwardly extending arms 38 which are connected by springs 3| to a suitable anchorage upon the side frames.

By reason of this construction the sprocket chain is maintained in proper engagement with the sprocket wheels and pinions and sufficient flexibility permitted to enable the upper squeeze roll to be raised relatively to the lower squeeze roll. The upper portion of the machine is provided with suitable walls to form a housing to confine the heat and vapors and as illustrated comprises front doors 32 and 33, and an upper door 34 to permit free access to the interior of the machine, and suitable side and end walls to complete the closure.

In the construction illustrated two pairs of squeeze rolls and packing boxes are employed and the tub may if desired be divided into two separate compartments by a vertical partition 85. A continuous web of fabric 36 passes from the tub substantially vertically upwardly preferably through a ladder guide 31, thence over a guide pulley 38, the shaft of which is mounted in suitable bearings in the upper sections of the side frame, and thence between the lower and upper squeeze rolls from which it is forced into the packing box and when delivered from the packing box progressively returns to the tank.

The packing box comprises a bottom 39, sides 40, and a top having a rigid section 4! and a pivotally mounted weighted section 42 adapted in cooperation with the bottom and side walls of the packing box to resist the passage of the fabric therethrough in such manner as to cause the production of folds of the fabric within the packing box, the compression of the fabric and the frictioning of the faces of the folds .against one another.

Any suitable means may be provided for weighting the top of the packing box, such as weights, springs, or the like. In the preferred construction illustrated the lower ends of links 43 are pivotally connected to the pivoted section 42 of the packing box top adjacent its free end, and said links are pivotally connected at their upper ends to arms 44 which are fixedly secured to a cross shaft 45 mounted in suitable bearings in the upper side frames. Arms 46 are also connected to the shaft 45 and. the free ends of said arms have pivotally secured to them depending rods 41 having at their lower ends supports for removable weights 48 by means of which the desired pressure may be imposed upon the pivoted top of the packing box. Desirably the rods 41 are provided with a nut 49 located above the support for the weights and upon which a spring buffer 50 is seated. The rods 49 are also desirably provided with nuts 5! forming abutments for buffer springs 52 seated upon the projecting webs of brackets 53 which also form guides for the rods 41.

One of the principal objects of the present invention as heretofore explained is to provide a rigid packing box having a bottom, side walls and top each of which presents throughout its entire area. a smooth highly polished surface to engage the fabric which is compressed within the packing box. In order to insure rigidity of the packing box the bottom 39, sides 45), and the top 4| desirably are of metal securely welded together to provide a rigid unyielding integral construction. Desirably the bottom. side walls and top 4| and also the pivotally mounted section 42 of the top are of stainless steel and the inner faces of each of these members present a smooth highly polished surface to engage the fabric. The stainless steel employed desirably is such as is known as Allegheny metal which is an alloyof iron comprising approximately eighteen per cent chromium and eight per cent nickel. Such polished surfaces are of sufiicient hardness to withstand wear and are non-corrosive.

By reason of the integral construction of the box no separation of the parts can take place such as might occur by the loosening of nuts if the parts of the packing box are bolted together; consequently, there can be no cracks into which the material will be forced to produce wrinkles or the tearing of the goods. Furthermore, the smooth highly polished surfaces of the interior of the packing box and the top thereof will not produce such friction uponthe fabric as to remove the napor'produceflocks, and will insure the production of the nappy surface on the fabric by virtue of the squeezing action and the rubbingtogether of adjacent faces of ithegfabric.

It is found in actual practice thatby reason of the present construction a superior fulling of the cloth is produced and also that the lack of frictional resistance ofthe Walls of the packing box to the fabric will permit an increased speed of operation of the machine, thereby enabling a greater production to be maintained. While it is desirable that the walls and top of the packing box be composed entirely of stainless steel, it is obvious that similar-results may be'obtained by providing a rigid packing box with a lining of highly polished stainless steel, or other noncorrosive metallic alloys, and it is to be understood that such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

Desirably guiding mechanisms for directing the fabric to the'squeeze rolls are also formed of or surfaced with stainless steel, or other non-corrosive metallic alloys having high polished surfaces.

In the present construction the ladder guide 31 for the fabric is formed of steel, both as to the longitudinally extending bars and the transverse rungs. Similarly the vertical front guides 54 and 55 which confine the traveling web of fabric between them and guide it to the squeeze rolls are of stainless steel presenting highly polished fabric-engaging surfaces, or if made of other materials are likewise provided with highly polished non-corrosive surfaces to engage the traveling fabric. In the construction shown each of the pairs of vertical front guides 54 is mounted upon reversely. screw threaded portions 55 and 51 of shafts 58 and 59 the ends of which are journaled in suitable bearings inthe side frames.

In order to produce such simultaneous rotation of the shafts 58 and 59 as to insure proper adjustment of the front guides 54 and 55 toward and from each other, the shafts 58 and 59 are provided respectively with sprocket wheels 60 and GI which are engaged by a sprocket chain 62 which passes over a sprocket pinion 53 upon a stud shaft 64 projecting from the upper side frame and which is provided with a hand wheel 65 by means of which the shaft 64 may be rotated in either direction to provide such spacing of the front guides as may be required to present a proper body of fabric progressively to the squeeze rolls.

Another and very important feature of the present invention relates to the manner in which the upper squeeze roll is supported so that the desired amount of pressure may be imposed upon the fabric passing through the squeeze rolls, and also in the provision of means for raising the upper squeeze roll to such height as to permit convenient access to the fabric in the packing box in case it becomes jammed therein.

In usual fulling mill constructions the bearings for the upper squeeze rolls are slidably mounted in guideways in the frame and pressure is supplied through coiled springs which press upon the bearings of the upper roll, or a single curved or semi-elliptical spring is employed for producing such a pressure. Where the coiled springs are used the jamming of the rolls will frequently spread them so far apart as to bring the coils of the springs together, so that they cannot yield farther, and the fabric will be damaged by continned friction, or in its removal from the squeeze rolls.

In other types'of construction no substantial adjustment of the spring is permitted and the construction is such that it is diff cult to spread the rolls apart where the material becomes jammed in them or in the packing box.

The present construction is intended not only to avoid these objections, but to provide a mechanism in which the pressure of the squeeze rolls upon the fabric may bequickly and accurately adjusted to the requirements of the fulling operation.

In the preferred construction illustrated the hearings l9 of the upper squeeze rolls are mounted in supporting members 56 of sled-like construction which are fixedly mounted in the grooves or ways 18 in the upper side frames. The supporting members 66 desirably are provided with extensions '61 through which a stop screw 58 passes upwardly to engage at its upper end the under face of the bearing l9 and thereby to limit the downward movement of the bearing and consequently the lowest position of the upper squeeze roll relatively to the lower squeeze roll, (see Fig. 3). The bearing I9 is also provided with an upwardly extending boss 68 upon which the lower section 18 of an elliptical spring is seated. The boss 89 of the lower bearing is also provided with upwardly extending links H and 12 each of which is provided with a longitudinal slot 13 extending nearly to its upper end. The leaves of the upper sections 14 of the elliptical springs are clamped respectively by bolts 75 between plates it which engage the under. surface of said upper section and the flanged lower ends 11 of thrust members, preferably toothed racks 18, which extend vertically upwardly and are slidably mounted in suitable guides 19 in brackets 88 which are mounted upon the upper side frames 4 and 5.

Suitable power applying means are provided to liftthe bearings of the upper squeeze roll to separate it from the lower feed roll. The preferred lifting means illustrated comprises a shaft 5! which is mounted in the brackets 89, extends transversely across the machine, and is provided at its ends with pinions 82 which engage the teeth of the racks 18. The shaft 8! is provided near one end with a worm gear 83 which engages a worm 84 upon a shaft 85 which is mounted at one end in a bracket 86 extending upwardly from the upper section of the side frame 4 and which is mounted near its lower end in a boss 81 projecting from the side frame. The shaft 85 is provided at its lower end with a hand wheel 88 by means of which the shaft 85 may be rotated, thereby to rotate the worm 84, the worm wheel 83, the shaft 8|, and the pinions 82 which engage the racks 18 in such direction as may be required to increase or to decrease the pressure imposed upon the elliptical spring and consequently the pressure of the upper squeeze roll upon the fabric.

By reason of this construction a wider range of adjustment and a more accurate adjustment of the pressureof thesqueeze rolls upon the fabric may be secured.

A further object of the invention, as above stated, is to provide means for raising the upper squeeze roll such ample distance as may be desired to permit access to the fabric in case it becomes jammed. This is accomplished in the present construction by providing the plates It with laterally extending projections 89, as illustrated inFig. l', or providing the'central portionof the plates 1.6 with a. downwardly offset central secfabric.

tion to receive and clamp a pin 90 between it and the lower long leaf of the upper section of the spring, as shown in Fig. 3. The pin 90 extends through the slots 13 in the links H and 12.

By reason of this construction the hand wheel 88 may be rotated in a direction to adjust the pressure of the upper roll upon the fabric. On the other hand, if it is desired to raise the upper squeeze roll away from the lower squeeze roll to permit access to the fabric, the shaft Bl will be rotated by the hand wheel 88 in the reverse direction, thereby raising the rack to relieve the tension on the spring. When the rack has been sufficiently raised to cause the projections 89, Fig. l, or pins 90, Fig. 4, to reach the upper ends of the slots 13 and engage the upper portions of the links 'H and 12, further rotation of the hand wheel and the shaft 8| in the same direction will cause the links H and 12, which are connected to the bearings of the upper squeeze rolls, to raise the squeeze roll positively, thereby relieving pressure of the rolls upon the jammed fabric, and such further raising of the squeeze roll may be continued a suficient distance to give the operator free access to the jammed fabric, thus enabling him to withdraw the fabric and restore it to normal condition.

By reason of the present invention, therefore, the jamming of the fabric in the rolls or packing box can be readily relieved and the adjustment of the pressure of the squeeze rolls upon the fabric properly coordinated to the resistance imposed upon the fabric as it is forced through the packing box, which resistance in turn can be accurately determined by adding sections to or removing sections from the weights 48 which are suspended upon the rod 4?. Inasmuch as the faces of the smooth polished walls of the packing box reduce to a minimum the friction imposed upon the fabric by its engagement with said walls, the wearing away of the nap upon the fabric, and the production of flocks is substantially eliminated, and a far more uniform friction of the faces of adjacent folds of the fabric produced, which results in a superior and uniform fulling of the Furthermore, by such elimination of undue friction between the walls of the packing box and the fabric and by reason of the adjustments of the rolls and the weight upon the top of the packing box, such uniform fulling operation is accomplished as will permit a more rapid delivery of the fabric from the fulling box and consequently a greater output of fulled fabric.

It will, therefore, be obvious that the present invention not only relates to the avoidance of undue friction between the walls of the packing box and the fabric passing therethrough, but also includes a coordination therewith of means for compressing the fabric by the squeeze rolls with a predetermined accurately determined force, in combination with means for accurately adjusting the force of resistance to the fabric as it is forced through the packing box.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is illustrative of the preferred construction for producing the results herein described, but is not restrictive of the meaning and scope of the claims as applied to other or modified constructions for producing like results.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a, fulling machine comprising a casing having a tub to contain the bulk of the fabric, a

pair of squeeze rolls located above said tub, means for driving said rolls progressively to draw the fabric from the tub, stop mechanism for said driving means, yieldably supported means for guiding the web of fabric moving upwardly from said tank presenting smooth highly polished surfaces of non-corrosive metal to engage said fabric, and a packing box located rearwardly of and in proximity to said squeeze rolls, having a rigid bottom, rigid side walls and a yieldably weighted top each presenting highly polished non-corrosive metallic surfaces to engage and resist the progress of the fabric forced through said packing box by said squeeze rolls without injuring the quality of the fabric, and means operable by the yielding movement of said guiding means to actuate said stop mechanism to arrest said driving means.

2. In a, fulling machine comprising a casing having a tub to contain the bulk of the fabric, a pair of squeeze rolls located above said tub, means for driving said rolls progressively to draw the fabric from the tub, a ladder guide for the web of fabric drawn from the tank by said squeeze rolls presenting fabric-engaging surfaces of stainless steel, relatively adjustable vertical front guides located in proximity to and in advance of said squeeze rolls presenting smooth highly polished surfaces of stainless steel, and a rigid packing box located rearwardly of and in proximity to said squeeze rolls having a bottom, side walls integral with said bottom and a yieldably weighted top each formed of stainless steel and presenting smooth highly polished surfaces to engage and resist the progress of the fabric forced through said packing box by said squeeze rolls without injuring the quality of the fabric.

3. In a fulling machine comprising a frame, a lower squeeze roll mounted in rigid bearings in said frame, an upper squeeze roll journaled in bearings slidably mounted in vertical guideways on said frame, power applying means and means operable thereby simultaneously to lift the bearings of the upper squeeze roll to separate it from the lower squeeze roll, elliptical springs mounted upon the bearings of said upper squeeze roll, means operable by said power applying means simultaneously to compress said elliptical springs with a predetermined force, thereby to cause said rolls to squeeze the fabric with a predetermined pressure, and means permitting relative movement between said lifting means and said pressure applying means.

4. In a fulling machine comprising a frame, a lower squeeze roll mounted in rigid bearings in said frame, an upper squeeze roll journaled in bearings slidably mounted in guideways in said frame, elliptical springs mounted upon the bearings of said upper squeeze roll, Vertical thrust members fixedly secured to the upper sections of the respective elliptical springs, guides on said frame for said thrust members, power applying means, and means operable thereby simultaneously to force said thrust members downwardly or to raise said thrust members, and lost motion connections between said thrust members and said bearings operable to permit relative downward compressive movements of the sections of said spring and upon upward movement of said thrust members to raise the bearings of said upper roll, thereby to separate said squeeze rolls.

5. In a fulling machine comprising a frame, a lower squeeze roll mounted in rigid bearings in said frame, an upper squeeze roll journaled in bearings slidably mounted in guideways in said frame, elliptical springs mounted upon the bearings of said upper roll, racks fixedly secured to the upper sections of said springs, guides for said racks mounted upon said frame, a shaft mounted in bearings upon said frame having pinions engaging the respective racks, power applying means for rotating said shaft to depress or to raise said rack, vertical links mounted upon the upper bearings of said rolls having lost motion slots therein, and means connected to said racks engaging said slots operable upon the raising of the rack to lift said upper squeeze roll and thereby to separate it from said lower squeeze roll.

6. In a fulling machine comprising a frame, a lower squeeze roll mounted in rigid bearings in said frame, an upper squeeze roll journaled in bearings slidably mounted in guideways in said frame, elliptical springs mounted upon the bearings of said upper squeeze roll, vertical thrust members fixedly secured to the upper sections of the respective elliptical springs, guides on said frame for said thrust members, power applying means, and means operable thereby simultaneously to force said thrust members downwardly or to raise said thrust members, and lost motion connections between said thrust members and said bearings operable to permit relative downward compressive movements of the sections of said spring and upon upward movement of said thrust members to raise the bearings of said upper roll, thereby to separate said squeeze rolls, a packing box located rearwardly of and in proximity to said squeeze rolls comprising a bottom, side walls and a yieldably mounted weighted top each presenting smooth highly polished inner faces of non-corrosive metal to engage and to resist the passage of the fabric through said box without abrading or otherwise injuring the quality of the fabric.

HOMER C. RIGGS. 

